CLARION, Pa., Nov. 4 – The Small Business Development Center held their fourth seminar Wednesday about benefits from Marcellus Shale.

Marcellus Shale is a type of rock that holds pockets of natural gas, and can be very valuable. So valuable, in fact, that oil and gas companies all the way from Texas have come to Pennsylvania to extract the gas.

The SBDC has been one of 16 host sites to educate local businesses on how to benefit from the revenue made by drillers that are contracted and set up work sites temporarily, sometimes up to two years.

The “webinar” has been every Wednesday morning, sponsored in part by Penn State.

“Local businesses in attendance can discover opportunites a business could have,” said Education Program Coordinator Kristin Stiglitz. “The SBDC assists businesses, both already exsisting and preventure, write business plans and help find and educate businesses about opportunites from Marcellus Shale.”

Teaching businesses how to write plans is not the full extent of what the SBDC has to offer. The first meeting was “Economic implications.”

“We explained where Marcellus Shale lies across the state, and heard of experiences from other states,” said Stiglitz.

Armstrong, Venango and Jefferson Counties are a few in Pennsylvania that have already begun to extract Marcellus Shale.

In Clarion County, Shippenville has already been a location for drilling.

Stiglitz said the second meeting, “Identifying local business opportunites,” hosted an attorney and two experts on drilling Marcellus Shale. Success and failure stories about the industry were discussed.

Where small businesses in the area could really benefit in this is from accomodating the drilling companies.

“Local hotels, restaurants, and catering services are ones that could benefit,” said Stiglitz.

Renting tools and equipment also play a large rule in what drilling companies will need during their time spent in the Clarion area.

Stiglitz said that representatives from businesses such as insurance companies, trucking companies, rubber and supply and auto parts supply outfits have been in attendance at the meeting.

What has yet to be discussed during the SBDC meetings whether drilling the Marcellus Shale will have a negative impact on the environment.

The SBDC will host a final meeting to complete their series of five this Tuesday at 8 a.m. in 250 Gemmell. The focus of the meeting will be “Your business working with others.”